The only surprise in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup is Morocco

In the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, the last 16 rounds of competitions in which the teams that completed the 8 groups in the first 2 places competed are left behind.

The Netherlands, who beat the USA 3-1, were paired with Argentina, who defeated Australia 2-1. England, which had a 3-0 lead over Senegal, became the rival of defending champions France, who eliminated Poland 3-1.

The most successful team in the World Cups, Brazil, which defeated South Korea 4-1, will face Croatia, which gave Japan the lead on penalties. Portugal, which defeated Switzerland 6-1, will face Morocco, which eliminated Spain on penalties.

The quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be played on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10.

THE ONLY SURPRISE OF THE LAST 16 MOROCCO

While the favorites won 7 of the 8 games played in the last 16 rounds of the tournament, Morocco got a big surprise. The African team dominated 2010 world champion Spain on penalties in the match, which ended 0-0 in regulation time and extra time, and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in its history.

Morocco, the 4th African team to make a name for itself in the World Cup quarterfinals, also claimed the title of the first Arab country to achieve this success. The Netherlands, Argentina, France, England, Croatia, Brazil and Portugal did not allow surprises and managed to stay in the round of 16 of the cup.

THE NIGHTMARE OF THE PENALTY OF SPAIN

Spain, which has a World Cup in its museum, said goodbye to the tournament for the fourth time as a result of the penalty shootout. Losing to Belgium in the quarterfinals in 1986, Spain was knocked out in 2002, losing to host countries South Korea at the same stage. Having been knocked out by hosts Russia in the round of 16 in 2018, Spain ultimately failed to dominate Morocco in 2022 and failed to end their World Cup nightmare on penalties.

THE MIRACLE OF JAPAN AND THE US

Bidding farewell to the World Cup in the last 16 rounds, Japan and the USA made their mark on the tournament with their performance.

Japan, who gave a big surprise by defeating Germany and Spain in the group stage, could not overcome the obstacle of Livakovic, who became a giant in the penalty area, despite playing better than Croatia in the round of 16 match , and said goodbye to Qatar 2022.

The exemplary behavior of the Japanese fans who cleaned the stands after the matches, appreciated by the whole world, was also among the unforgettable ones at Qatar 2022. The USA, on the other hand, gave hope for the future with its young players and Atléticos, despite being eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16.

OUTSTANDING STARS IN THE LAST 16

During the round of 16 stage of Qatar 2022, Goncalo Ramos, Denzel Dumfries and Kylian Mbappe played a leading role as their team earned a ticket to the quarterfinals. Ramos, who scored 3 goals as Portugal defeated Switzerland 6-1, became the first player to score a hat-trick at Qatar 2022.

In the game where the Netherlands dominated the USA 3-1, Dumfries produced a goal and 2 assists, bringing his team both the win and the tour.

The star footballer of France, Mbappé, for his part, scored 2 goals in the last stretch of the Polish fight, where he did not start well, and took the last champion to the quarterfinals. Kylian Mbappé has risen to the top of the tournament’s top scorer ranking with 5 goals.

Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (3) and Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (2) helped their teams reach the quarterfinals with their saves on penalties.

The most memorable moment of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 was recorded when Madrid-born Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi knocked his home country Spain out of the cup with a “Panenka” penalty sent to the networks. (AA)